Gender Disparity and Education of Muslim Girls in India: Societal and Legal Issues

Abstract

Muslims constitute the largest religious minority in India, but educationally one of the most backward communities in the country. Muslim women even lag behind their male counterparts as well as women from all the other communities. Women across the socio-economic spectrum experience a great deal of gender disparity. The discriminatory practices operate across regions, castes, classes, communities, and religions as well. Women in India however have also made significant strides, particularly in the seven decades. Women have been entering the field of education and taking on the challenges of various professions. However, the majority of women remain restricted by the burden of family expectations, expected gender roles, social prejudices, and stigma. The absence of gender-disaggregated data by religion, particularly in respect of literacy rate, enrolment rates at different stages of education, and dropout rates at national, state, and district levels was a formidable bottleneck in the planning and development of programmes for the education of women. The study has analysed the present educational status of Muslim women and examines socio-cultural and educational factors and forces hindering their educational participation. The paper also examines the backdrop of existing policies and programmes to promote the education of Muslim girls being a social and economically disadvantaged section of our society.